Alex Chopjian

Status

Department

Focus

On the Web

Artist's Statement

My goal, as an artist, is to create pieces of work that bring joy to the viewer. The enjoyment that a blank white screen or an empty canvas brings me is indescribable, and using my excitement to create a visual piece that people can enjoy is very satisfying. I still have much to learn, which is why I make my art… Read More

My goal, as an artist, is to create pieces of work that bring joy to the viewer. The enjoyment that a blank white screen or an empty canvas brings me is indescribable, and using my excitement to create a visual piece that people can enjoy is very satisfying. I still have much to learn, which is why I make my art education a priority. Although I have a talent, it isn’t worth much if I don’t have the knowledge to back it. The thrill I find in learning new concepts or terms in the classroom are just as satisfying as the art I create myself. Each new term that is taught brings me countless ideas to aid me in my future pieces and career.

I make my decisions based upon planning. I plan my work out ahead of time by sketching down images in my mind, or even ideas in word form on a scrap piece of paper. I always try out new mediums to work with because it forces me to step out of a comfort zone. Whenever I try a new medium, I use the basic supplies that fit the media. For example, when I started to paint, I bought cheap $2 paint and even cheaper brushes and worked on canvas. I found out later that I was using paint meant for crafts and not for canvases, but the challenges I overcame while working with the cheaper materials aided me quite a bit when I transitioned to better supplies.

A current project I’m working on is portraits of media icons that I grew up with or found interesting using expressionistic color. I’ve painted Michael Jackson and Rocky Balboa, and even the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. The paintings bring me, and even others, a strong sense of nostalgia. Today, I have 9 canvas paintings and a few digital paintings. I started making the portraits in July 2012, and would paint one painting a week. It was the first time I had ever painted, so as I made more portraits, I grew with it. Today, my project is on hold because of my schoolwork, but I still manage to create a few pieces digitally here and there. I plan on continuing this project during my vacations off of school. Read Less